Arapahoe County added about $75,000 in this year’s budget for an extra veterans-services officer to meet a growing need from new veterans and Vietnam veterans.

County Commissioner Bill Holen said it was imperative that the county add the extra amount because current veterans-services officer Rick Stewart was having a hard time keeping up with the current caseload and reaching out to the communities that need such services.

“We think it’s a very good investment because the budget for the (veterans-services officer) and the office was $159,953, plus they get another $2,400, but no way does it help it that much,” Holen said. “We’re seeing an increase in soldiers who have (post-traumatic stress disorder), both Vietnam vets and veterans from the current conflicts.”

Linda Haley, senior resources-division manager who oversees the veterans-services office, said the office is seeing a lot of vets come in to file for disability, pension or burial benefits or employment assistance. Having the new position, she said, will mean splitting the paperwork between two positions and allowing both officers to reach out to nursing homes and vets on the Eastern Plains.

“We owe it to the veterans of our country to meet the needs that they have,” Haley said.

She said she probably wouldn’t hire for the position until January.

For Holen, adding this extra money is special for him because he is a Vietnam veteran. Arapahoe County serves about 50,000 veterans, with 40,000 dependents, and 15,000 veterans at Buckley Air Force Base.

Colorado energy regulators on Monday proposed tighter rules for shutting down oil and gas pipelines after a fatal explosion blamed on natural gas leaking from a line that was thought to be out of service but was still connected to a well.